Instruction
Choose a time and location for where/when you are going to conduct your observations of an ethnographic scene. Given the current lock down and/or orders to stay home you will have to do observations in your home, apartment, or living arrangement. Instead of going to a mall, coffee shop, or other public site, I am asking that you observe your immediate environs emphasizing divisions of labor, gender, age, communication, socialization, ritual and other other cultural features that can be observed in your living space. For example, observing the production of a meal, daily routines, cleaning, parenting, and other activities are all excellent sources of culture. This paper can also be used to compare how home routines have changes or are impacted from the health crisis, and can serve as a brief anthropological narrative on your experience during this time.
Take notes (handwritten recommended). Include details about the scene itself (time of day, lighting, furniture, plants, sounds, temperature, smell, vibe/energy, etc), with focus on the details about the people around you (their characteristics, their behavior). At this time, you should start to think about concepts that you've learned in class that fit with your observations. This step is critical.
Write a 4-6 page paper about your observations Your paper should:
Include a ‘thick description’ of the location with clear detail of your observations
Analyze your observations, identifying and defining four anthropological concepts that fit your observations. Definitions should be supported with cited sources.
Analyze how these anthropological concepts fit your observations.
Reflect on this activity. What was it like to observe other people through the lens of an anthropologist?
Include your field notes at the end of your paper